Botany and Ormiston Times : Howick and Botany Times Wednesday December 17 2014

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40 — Howick and Botany Times, Wednesday, December 17, 2014
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‘biggest’ events: The World Masters Games are coming to South-East
Auckland in 2017.
➤ page 39
Spirit of masters embodied
By Daniel Silverton
PAKURANGA Athletic Club
multi-eventer Ron Johnson is
one of New Zealand’s most expe-
rienced and decorated masters
sportspeople.
The 82-year-old regularly
returns from New Zealand and
international competitions with a
wealth of medals won in track and
field disciplines.
The principal of Pakuranga and
Howick Realty earned his largest
haul at last month’s Pan Pacific
Masters Games on Australia’s
Gold Coast.
Competing in the 80-84 age
group, Johnson won 11 gold med-
als and a silver, while setting a
number of Pan Pacific and Auck-
land records.
He also set a New Zealand
record in the pole vault, clearing
1.8 metres.
There could have been another
national record to his name, but
Johnson made a sacrifice which
embodies the spirit of masters
sport.
“Halfway through the second
day, my legs were feeling a bit
shot,” he says.
“So I decided to pull out of the
200m hurdles and save myself for
the next day because I was going
to try to break the NZ record for
the 3000m walk.
“The Australian captain came
up to me and said one of the ladies
in the 200m hurdles is going for
a world record, but we are one
short.”
Some of the men’s and women’s
age groups were going to be run-
ning together, and a certain quo-
rum of entrants is required at the
start line for the race to be eligible
for a world record attempt.
“I said, ‘I’m stuffed, I can’t do it’.
She said, ‘come on’, so I dragged
myself down there and did the
hurdles.
“Ionlyjustdidit–Ihitthelast
one and nearly went flying. I’m the
world’s worst hurdler.
“They came back and gave me a
hug and said the world record was
broken.
“The next day I could hardly
walk, my legs were gone. I had
to give the record attempt in the
3000m walk away.
“The Aussies coming to say ‘will
you help us’ has never happened
before. I had a bit of fun with that.
Normally the Kiwis and Aussies
are in opposition, but this shows
how you can do a favour.”
In 2009, at age 77, Johnson
competed in the World Masters
Games held in Sydney, where he
won three gold medals in the jave-
lin, pentathlon and pole vault, and
claimed two silvers.
He hopes to be still competing
when the event is staged in Auck-
land in 2017, though doubts if he’ll
remain as successful in the 80-84
age group, despite the hometown
advantage.
“I’ll be 84 and I won’t have a
chance,” he says.
“I’m not going to be able to beat
someone who’s 80.”
Potentially finishing down the
field won’t detract from his enjoy-
ment, though.
“We don’t get angry if we lose,”
he says.
“We try and beat each other, but
if we don’t, we shake hands and
say, ‘I’ll get you next time’.
“We don’t take it too seriously
because the main thing is to come
and be able to do it.”
See the story on page 39 for
■■
which venues in South-East Auck-
land will be hosting sports during
the 2017 World Masters Games.
Ron Johnson, of Flat Bush, set a New Zealand record in the pole vault at the Pan Pacific Masters Games last month.
Photo supplied
Investment
into netball
By Marianne Kelly and Daniel Silverton
A GRANT to fund development and project
costs of dedicated indoor covered netball
courts was approved by the Howick
Local Board at its monthly meeting on
December 8.
The $20,000 grant for the Howick
Pakuranga Netball Centre (HPNC) will
come from the board’s Facility Partnership
allocation.
The need for covered courts has been
identified by Netball Northern Zone as
the Howick Pakuranga centre is the fourth
largest in the Auckland Council region.
It also has the largest growth in numbers
in the past year, up 36 per cent between
2013 and 2014.
A council officers’ report to the board
says covered courts will also allow HPNC to
run programmes and competitions for all
ages in an environment that is not dictated
to by weather or time as offered by other
large netball centres.
“We felt as a centre that we needed to
be able to run programmes at all times of
the year and all times of the day no matter
what the weather,” says HPNC president
Robyn Garner.
“It seems to be the way netball is
moving. A lot of the other centres are
getting those kinds of facilities. To stay on
par with them we felt it was necessary.
“Netball isn’t just played on a Saturday
anymore. It’s played in the evenings and
this will allow that type of competition to
go ahead.”
The options range from putting a roof
over the outdoor courts, or constructing an
enclosed playing area.
“We’ll use the grant to look at what is
the best option and most viable type of
construction. We’re hoping it will be a
minimum of four courts.”